glad you're goin' my way

i got back late saturday night from my work cruise to baja mexico. this is exactly the sort of thing most people blog about, but i find that i really don't have much to say... because most people have been on a cruise and know what it's like. aside from what i'd assume is the norm (lobster in the dining room, cheesy shows, elephant-shaped towells on your bed, and midnight mexican buffets), here are a few details.

on the bus-ride from provo to san diego, the bus driver didn't know how to work the ac or the bathroom lights, so i found myself pulling my sweaty jeans down as i attempted to relieve myself in the dark whilst bouncing off plastic walls. how's that for a start? i kid, but this was true.

i saw the tail of a whale from the top deck, a stingray doing a backflip out of the water while i walked along lovers' beach, flying fish trying to get out of the way of our ship as i leaned over the bow, stinky seals relaxing on a rock where the sea of cortez meets the pacific ocean, tropical fish fighting for cracker bits alongside our little glass-bottom boat, and a beached sea lion in a plum purple bathing suit with a very weak tan.

each day was filled with activities, and with 55 people in our group, i had a constant urge to do something... so if i was laying out and a group of guys came by about to start a game of miniature golf, i jumped up to join. if i was eating a second lunch and someone strolled through the dining area, i'd join them to play volleyball. constant entertainment. needless to say, i got little sleep.

so around mid-day on day 2, i started to zone in and out of lucidity...

there seemed to be four types of people in our group on the cruise: drinkers, non-drinking partiers, married groupies, and single loners. of course we all got together for games or tournaments or meals, but the in-between time was where we all divided into our respective groups... or groups of one. there was another loner towards whom i'd gravitate, and he towards me. several times we found ourselves sitting together reading in silence. it was a wonderful substitute for what we both were missing, for what cruises are made for in my opinion. i mean, unless you are a drinker, married, or retired, cruises are just odd.

while walking towards la bufadora (the blowhole), the main attraction at the end of a long row of shopping tents, there was a man hand-painting dinner plates with various scenes of mexico. they were tacky and overpriced. a little girl pulled on her father's hand and whined, "i WANT one, daddy! i really want one!" sure she did. she wanted everything, didn't she. i remembered being that age and thinking everything was so dang cool. now? it's all the same stuff i saw in tourist shops in florida. stuff is stuff is stuff. but the man painting the plates was eduardo.

the two times we docked in mexico reminded me so much of chile that i just watched everyone and everything. i actually enjoyed, in a strange sort of way, seeing dirt instead of grass and hearing cat calls instead of "hello's." i guess you could call some of us suckers, but paying money for the aforementioned junk didn't stop us and was far from our point. michael jackson was blaring in the taco shop in ensanada, so one fellow sentimalist paid a sombrero-toting man $2 to play a "happy song" on his guitar. he was off-key, but the tacos were delicious and the man got $2 for nothing, really. one little, old lady tried to sell me a "handmade" cover-up dress for $14 simply because i glanced at it. so, as she expected, i bartered her down to $10. but i gave her $15 after all. bonus: i like the dress.

i met molly in the main common area of the ship. i was sitting alone, relaxing before dinner on a couch for two as a 4-piece combo played jazzy love songs. she came in and asked if she could sit next to me. she was suprised that "such a pretty girl was sitting alone." her husband of 40 years had passed away a couple of months ago. she was on the cruise with her girlfriends who "don't like to drink at the bars." "is this a bar?" i wondered. just then a woman came by asking if we would like a drink. molly ordered something blue with a little umbrella resting on the rim. "i don't drink," i told her. again, she was surprised at me. "young people these days. i don't understand them," she confessed. "me either." so molly and i watched glowing couples dance circles around the small floor to "lady in red." i wished i was wearing red.

i mentioned watching flying fish from the bow of the ship. i thought about titanic and grinned. the first time i went to the bow of the ship i was alone. i lay down with a book on a solitary wooden bench and closed my eyes as the wind blew my hair across and back again over my face. lovely feeling. two older couples came strolling up and asked if i'd take their picture. i did, and as they walked away and i sat back down on the bench, one of the ladies passed me, stopped, turned and put her hand on my shoulder and said, "i'm surprised such a pretty girl is sitting up here alone." she smiled sweetly and walked off.

i noticed a theme, as i'm sure you have noticed.

i could keep going with little vignettes and stories, but they are all similar. i was exhausted, entertained, reminded of my single-hood, and tanner and fatter by the minute. sorry for the lack of "list"-ness of things i did. here are a few pictures instead.

I got on this ship...


...with these people...


...and saw this...


...and bought a few things here...


..and found this on my bed...


...the end.